IDF crosses Litani River, reaching one of deepest points in southern Lebanon
Tunnel ambushes, drone attacks, and close-quarters combat leave eight soldiers lightly wounded as Oketz attack dogs injured while chasing fleeing terrorists
Golani reconnaissance unit soldiers fought a significant battle last week in southern Lebanon, crossing the Litani River and reaching one of the deepest points Israeli forces have advanced to so far, i24NEWS sister-Hebrew channel military correspondent Yinon Shalom Yitach revealed Tuesday.
At the peak of their advance, the forces reached a neighborhood in Zuta al-Sharqiya, a Shiite town in the center of the sector considered a key strategic point in the area. During the operation, several Hezbollah terrorists emerged from a tunnel shaft and attempted to engage the forces. Some were eliminated on the spot while others fled. An Oketz unit attack dog chased after the fleeing terrorists and was wounded by gunfire.
In additional engagements during the crossing, around eight soldiers were lightly wounded in close-quarters combat and explosive drone attacks. All were evacuated to the hospital and have since been reunited with their families. The forces successfully crossed back over the Litani at the conclusion of the operation, with part of the battle having taken place on the northern bank.
The route to Zuta al-Sharqiya passes through the valleys of the Litani River and requires engineering equipment and special capabilities. The operation follows a similar crossing attempted earlier in the campaign by a Yahalom unit and paratroopers under Division 98, who encountered an ambush along the way.
From the start of the current operation to the withdrawal of the last forces, approximately nine consecutive days passed. The town lies north of the village of Kantara, which Division 36 captured nearly a month ago and where the IDF destroyed one of the largest tunnels it had ever encountered.
In a separate update Tuesday, the IDF said that since the start of the ceasefire understandings, the Air Force has struck more than 1,100 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and eliminated more than 350 militants. Targets struck included buildings used for military purposes, weapons storage facilities, loaded and ready-to-launch rocket launchers, and additional terrorist infrastructure.